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Can Francis Ngannou Beat Anthony Joshua?

Can Francis Ngannou Beat Anthony Joshua? Boxing fans around the world are surely excited for the upcoming clash between former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou and boxing heavyweight giant Anthony Joshua. The ten round fight takes place on March 8th in the Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Following on from the unpredictable yet captivating match-up between Ngannou and Tyson Fury (which proved to be anything but a joke fight), this bout again blurs the lines between MMA and boxing worlds as we all try to deduce who is likely to claim victory. But the million-dollar question remains: Can Francis Ngannou, with his MMA background, take down a world class boxing heavyweight like Anthony Joshua?

The Ngannou Effect

Francis Ngannou is not your average MMA fighter. Known for his devastating power and ferocious knockouts in the UFC, Ngannou has proven time and again that he’s a force to be reckoned with. His transition from the Octagon to the boxing ring could barely have started better. – if not for the judges deciding against him in a highly contested decision. The man carries immense one punch power. But boxing is a different beast. Precision, timing, and footwork play a much larger role than MMA, where skills on the canvas play a pivotal role also. So can Ngannou’s power combine with an ability to adapt to a new sport?

Against All Odds: The Tyson Fury Benchmark

Ngannou’s performance against Tyson Fury offers a glimpse of what the Cameroonian is capable of in a boxing ring. While direct comparisons are tricky due to the nature of their exhibition match, Ngannou’s ability to hold his own against Fury, one of boxing’s finest, is telling. It was a statement that an MMA fighter could step into the ring and not just survive but thrive. This performance has set a precedent, but Anthony Joshua is a different challenge altogether.

“I will do something that no-one has done before and I believe I have the tools to do that, starting with having the win over ‘AJ’ on March 8 in a big fight – not an easy fight, but a possible one and I am going to take it.” is The ‘Predator’s’ grounded yet positive take on the AJ fight.

 

Anthony Joshua: Last Chance Saloon

Anthony Joshua is no stranger to the spotlight. With a professional record that boasts significant victories (Wladimir Klitschko, Andy Ruiz Jr rematch) as well as setbacks (Oleksandr Usyk x 2), Joshua’s experience in high-stakes boxing matches is significant. Joshua, like Nnganou an orthodox fighter, has a record of 27 wins from 30 fights (24 wins by knockout). He’s 6ft 6 with a 82 inch reach. His power and resilience make him a formidable opponent for anyone, let alone someone transitioning from MMA. Possible shortcomings though include his mindset, questions over his stamina and also his patchy form. Many see this as a potential route back to becoming World Champion and his eye is certainly on the prize.

“Every fight leads to somewhere, so this fight is my everything; my soul, my spirit, my mind, my body.” says AJ, of the Ngannou bout.

If he loses though, especially against a ‘non boxer’ does he have anywhere left to go?

The Clash of Titans: What to Expect

6ft4 Ngannou brings serious punch power and an unquestionable fighting spirit. With a UFC record of 17-3-0 (12 wins by KO) and a 83 inch reach he certainly has the tools to do the job.  However, Joshua’s experience in the ring surely poses big challenges for Ngannou. Both fighters have different skillsets. Ngannou can close the distance as he did against Fury and unleash his one punch power, while Joshua will try to use his long reach and jab effectively, and exploit any openings. Let’s not forget AJ also has immense power.

Francis Ngannou taking on Anthony Joshua is a fascinating and curious chapter in combat sports. Ngannou’s performance against Tyson Fury has already shattered expectations, showing that with the right mindet and preparation, MMA fighters can make it in boxing despite having no background in the sport. However, overcoming a fighter with the experience of AJ requires not just power but also a winning strategy. At least that’s what the theory says anyway!

So who wins?

Can Francis Ngannou beat Anthony Joshua? The answer lies in preparation, followed by execution on the night of the fight. Ngannou’s power is definitely a significant factor, but Joshua’s boxing acumen presents a monumental challenge. As the fight night approaches, the fight fans will be watching, eager to witness history in the making. Bookmakers have AJ as the 1-4 favourite at time of writing, but if Ngannou defies expectations, it certainly wouldn’t be for the first time.

 

 

Who is, or was, the youngest golfer, male or female, to win a major championship?

Who is, or was, the youngest golfer, male or female, to win a major championship? Nowadays, the term ‘major championships’ is used to describe the Masters Tournament, the US Open Championship, the Open Championship and the PGA Championship. Exactly when the modern definition was adopted is unclear, but it can certainly be traced back to 1960, the year in which Arnold Palmer won the Masters Tournament and the US Open Championship, finished runner-up, by a single stroke, in the Open Championship and held the first-round lead in the PGA Championship before eventually finishing tied for seventh.

The Open Championship was founded in 1860 and the US Open Championship in 1895, but the PGA Championship did not come in existence until 1916 and the Masters Tournament not until 1934. Thus, it can be argued that major championships did not really exist, at least not in the modern sense, when Tom Morris Jr., a.k.a. Young Tom Morris, won the 1868 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club in South Ayrshire, Scotland at the tender age of 17 years, 5 months and 8 days. A similar argument can applied to John McDermott, who was 19 months, 10 months and 14 days old when he won the 1911 US Open at Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Illinois.

Ultimately, the answer to the question comes down to semantics, but Tiger Woods was 21 years, 3 months and 14 days old when he won the 1997 Masters Tournament, making him the youngest male golf to win a major championship once all four ‘modern’ majors actually existed. For the record, and rather more straightforwardly, the youngest female golfer to win a major championship was Lydia Ko, who was 18 years, 4 months, 20 days old when she won the 2015 Evian Championship at the Evian Resort Golf Club in Évian-les-Bains, France. She was, of course, younger than Woods or McDermott, but older than Morris Jnr. so, ladies and gentlemen, take your pick!

Is it time to start thinking about having a Cheltenham Festival Flutter?

Having a flutter can have different meanings to different people. Aside from puritanical types I’d say that most of us fall somewhere on the betting scale, from casual punter on one end (of course even the lottery is taking a financial punt, aka gambling) to professional gambling on the other. No matter the strategy or lack therefore of involved though, I find that it’s the sporting events and festivals that draw in the whole nation that really gets people going. The Cheltenham Festival, comically highlighted here in the BetWay video above is a great example of that and how we’re all on the same page excitement-wise when it comes to festivals such as Cheltenham, the Grand National and the like. Let’s not forget also that Cheltenham betting odds are available on all 28 races.

The Cheltenham Festival is steeped in history and attracts the best of the best whether horse, jockey, trainer or owner, and that in part of what draws us all in. To become champion jockey or trainer at Cheltenham is something that contributes to individuals becoming true legends of the sport. The same applies to horses that have made their name at Cheltenham. Think the likes of Arkle, Desert Orchird, Kauto Star and Al Boum Photo.

What I find makes times like this a good opportunity to have a punt too is the myriad of betting offers available. Whether that’s in the form of free bets, bet bonuses, odds boosts, sign up bonuses, you name it, there are incentives galore during racing festival, so if you have a bet in mind, now might be the time to strike. For me, I’m tempted to have a cheeky wager on JonBon in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase, though with El Fabiolo currently at 2/5, I appreciate that the odds may be stacked against me somewhat. Since when is that a good reason to avoid having a punt though. Bet brave!

Who holds the world record for the men’s marathon? (Kelvin Kiptum)

Who holds the world record for the men's marathon? (Kelvin Kiptum) Interestingly, a world record for the men’s marathon was not ratified by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) until September 3, 1983, when Kenyan Paul Tergat won the Berlin Marathon in a time of 2:04:55; in so doing, he beat the previous ‘world’s best’ ratified by the IAAF, 2:05:38, recorded by Moroccan-born American Khalid Khannouchi when winning the London Marathon on April 14, 2002.

Since 2003, the world record for the men’s marathon has been broken seven times, each time in the Berlin Marathon and each time by an athlete from East Africa. Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie broke the world record two years running on the streets of the German capital, winning in times of 2:04:26 and 2:03:59 in 2007 and 2008, respectively. His mark was lowered, to 2:03:38, by Kenyan

Patrick Musyoki in 2011 and, thereafter, the world record has belonged, exclusively, to the ‘cradle of humanity’, whose capital, Nairobi, lies at an altitude of 5,500 feet.

The current holder of the world record, Eliud Kipchoge, has won the Berlin Marathon four times in all, first setting a world record, of 2:01:39, on September 16, 2016. However, on September 25, 2022, less than six weeks shy of his thirty-eighth birthday, he did so again, covering the 42.195 kilometre course in 2:01:09. Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum set a new men’s world record time of 2:00:35 in October 2023 (tragically he and his coach died in a car crash near a high altitude training centre in February 2024 – 24 year old Kiptum had been training for an attempt to run the first sub 2 hour marathon this April). Of course, the IAAF has strict rules, relating to distance, topography, etc., to determine which performances can, or cannot, be ratified as world records. Thus, while Kipchoge ran the full marathon distance in 1:59:40 in Vienna, Austria on October 12, 2019, as recognised by Guinness World Records, his effort was ineligible for world record consideration by the IAAF.

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